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Thursday, April 3, 2014

Among fragrance families, only "green" scents are classified through a visual connotation, specifically a color coding. You could argue that color plays an important role in the perception of fragrance anyway: "noir" or black connotes a sense of nocturnal danger, of priceless and unusual objects or of mighty seduction; spicy orientals are routinely being encased in reddish or brown boxes to evoke the materials associated with their make-up and the exotic East artifacts and textiles they are inspired of; marine scents come in blue bottles to recall the "big blue" of the sea they try to reference etc. And you would be right.

But green is a category all its own because the smell so categorically corresponds to the color for once that there is just no other way to "view" them: snapped leaves, mown grass, young stems retaining the dew, young buds striving to grow, pine needles all fresh and tingling in the forest air ... there's something about green scents that makes even the most die-hard urbanite of us yearn for the call of nature, of open spaces and of the freedom of an existence lived in a timeless way, in unison with earth. Today when the Green Movement is rampant, they seem particularly "now."

Green fragrances are not necessarily always "earth mother" types, "Om" chanters, dressed in hand-knitted woolies. They can be refreshing, upbeat, cheeky even! Etiquette Bleue by Parfums d'Orsay is a lively, citrusy scent which is underscored by greenery to render a playful and classic herbaceous ambience. O de Lancome is as fresh as tomorrow, its geometric packaging (in the words of Susan Irvine "reminiscent of 1960s wallpaper") denoting a modern sensibility; the basil, petitgrain, rosemary, witch hazel and vetiver notes give a decidedly green character to the hesperidic and floral notes that would speak of a simple cologne. Green fragrances can lean a bit more sophisticated too, borrowing facets from the fougere and chypre classification:Koto by Shiseido, Eau Parfumee au The Vert by Bvlgari, Diorella, Givenchy III, Safari by Ralph Lauren,Jacomo Silences, Niki de Saint Phalle and Eau Sauvage by Dior are all class acts in their own way and they all have perceptible "green" elements.

via pinterest

So beloved were these green scents once upon a time that the inclusion of a "herbal green" aroma in a functional product (namely the original "Herbal Essences" shampoo) has nostalgizers scouring Ebay for remaining bottles fetching stratospheric prices, even if only for opening the cap and getting a good sniff!

Green shades can technically veer into two main directions: fresh or resinous; leaves, floral notes with green elements such as lily of the valley/muguet and herbs are classified in the former (and accounting for green florals), with some citrus peel materials (bergamot notably) and grasses (such as galbanum) classified in the later, accounting for green chypre perfumes and green citrus fragrances.

Generally I agree; vetiver has always seemed 'brown' to me, being roots, with that earthy, woody odor, however I have some ruh khus, vetiver essential oil from India that is distilled in copper pots. It IS green, both in color and scent; over the typical vetiver odor is the essence of leaves and grass.

Another fan of green perfumes here! A lot of my favourites are green - Ninfeo Mio, Philosykos (more of a woody green), No 19 of course! Also Infusion d'Iris and Baiser Vole which has lovely green notes. Poeple tend to think of them as unsensual but I think the fact they recall nature makes them sensual in a different way

that's another good one! No problem with a hint of something light at the gym. The massive amounts of sweat (stale sweat sometimes!) can really "cut" some light green perfume. (But I'd discourage from wearing heavies when working out)

vetiver is more of an association due to the packaging (so many vetiver scents are packaged in green boxes or have a green hued juice, which is rather odd as vetiver oil is a very dark viscous brown).Citrus peel scents have a green resinous touch to them, sometimes aided further by a helping of the snapped leaves of said citrus tree. That's all.

Enjoy your green collection, it's such an uplifting and relaxing one at once.

Is Irisia discontinued? It would figure, though a shame, if so. You make want to reacquaint myself with L'Eau de l'Artisan. Wrapped up in my favs from the house I have neglected it, but it's truly very good, as you say. And I do love Fidji. Eau de Patou is in a class of its own, a very classy one ;-)

As to spraying your sheets with Guerlain's Vetiver, why a waste? (I do comparable things myself so I know what you mean but have overcome the feeling personally). It helps you have a pleasant sleep and happy dreams. Life is short. Making it feel better is NEVER a waste IMHO!!

Loved this text and love green scents, even if at times I find some smell too much of pine needles (that reads cleaning to me) or too much of juniper (more suited for sports body products). After a few disappointing samples I am so happy to test Sous le toit de de Paris, so easy to wear and yet interesting. And it is really green.

Pine needles do have the unfortunate association with cleaning/polishing products for Americans I hear (lavender has that effect in Europe). Hadn't thought of juniper in relation to sports products, more like with gin but you have an excellent point!

Maybe you can veer off to green in relation to fig leaf notes (Un Jardin en Mediterranee, also by Hermes, might please and intrigue) or to mossy stuff with vetiver like many green chypres. Or tomato leaf!! (Eau de Campagne by Sisley?)

Elena Vosnaki is executive editor of Fragrantica.gr, the leader in fragrance information in Greek, as well as a senior editor for the top english-speaking Fragrantica.com webzine.

Vosnaki has been Fragrance Expert on About.com and the Perfume History Curator of the Be Open Foundation exhibitionThe Garden of Wonders, A Journey in Scents in Milan. Her writing has been twice shortlisted in the FIFI Editorial Excellence Awards and is extensively quoted by authors. She is an evaluating expert on Osmoz.com.

Perfume Shrine is an award winning blog of 1000s of fragrance reviews (modern, niche, classic, vintage), articles on perfume history and aroma materials, comparisons of scents, interviews with perfumers & the fragrance industry, perfume shopping as well as scented travel memoirs, fine cuisine, tips on building a fragrance wardrobe and musings about the pleasures of the senses.